Photos App In Mac Shows No Photos For Iphone

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I can see the iPhone icon so it's connected. I select the iPhone icon, but it doesn't show the pictures on the device. It reads 'No Photos.' The import buttons are greyed out, and unusable. When syncing the phone to the Mac through iTunes, it shows a photos icon, so it is connected. Head to the following guide: Manage and Transfer iPhone Photos with iMazing for Mac. If you're like most people, you've got lots of photos. Pictures from your vacations, family snapshots, selfies, and more. If you use a Mac, you can store your photo library in Apple's Photos app and sync them to your iPhone. Aug 31, 2020 Create a new Photos library and see if your issues persist: Quit Photos. Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos. In the dialog that appears, click Create New. Give your new library a name, then click OK. Note whether Photos opens successfully with this new library. To return to your main Photos library, quit Photos. Feb 11, 2020 greetings, I am having MacOs 10.15.5, same problem with me; already in the finder its already ticked and this doesn’t work in the photo. Its ask to unlock and suddenly shows all the pictures from the device. But cannot export to photo app. This may be a trust issue, the iPhone doesn’t prompt to accept the trust. How to Move Photos from Mac to iPhone Using iTunes. Before you use iTunes to move photos from Mac to iPhone, one important thing you should know: when syncing photos from computer to iPhone, all the photos, music, ringtones, iBooks, and other media files on your iPhone would be erased (just like the following screenshot shows). But sometimes iPhone photos just can’t show up on PC or Mac computer even though the iPhone is connected to the computer. Now let’s follow this article to get some effective methods to solve the problem of iPhone photos not showing up on PC or Mac.

If your iPhone photos not showing up in iPhoto/Photos on Mac? Read this post to learn some quick solutions to fix the problem.

Therefore, your best solution is to get your photos migrated to the new replacement app you have on your Mac. The new Photos app lets you easily import your photos from iPhoto. The following shows how to do the task. Hold down the Option key on your keyboard. Launch the Photos app from the Launchpad on your Mac.

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AnyTrans – Get iPhone Photos on Mac

Free download AnyTrans on Mac to get iPhone photos show up, then import the photos you want to your computer. Try this alternative for iPhoto/Photos app!

Camera roll is about 4.4GB, and I want to save my pictures to the MacBook Pro. I connect my iPhone to MacBook Pro and iPhoto shows iPhone 8 plus yet displays the loading message. iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. I have just updated my iPhone to iOS 14, is that the problem?

iPhoto or the upgraded Photos app on Yosemite and later is the default app on Mac to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac. However, some users have met the same problem as the above user asked – photos on iPhone will not show up on Mac in iPhoto/Photos when connected with the iPhone. So you can’t import photos from iPhone to Mac. This may happen to users who have just updated to the latest iOS 14.

But don’t worry, in this guide, we will show you some easy tips to fix iPhone photos not showing up on Mac issue. Also, there is an efficient way to import photos from iPhone to Mac without iPhone or Photos.

Fixes to iPhone Photos Not Showing up in iPhoto or Photos on Mac

Here we collect some common quick solutions that once worked for some users to fix the iPhone photos not showing up on Mac in iPhoto or Photos.

  1. Update your Mac and your iPhone system to the latest version. If possible update iPhoto to Photos (for Mac OS X Yosemite and later).
  2. Unplug your iPhone, and quit iPhoto/Photos as well as iTunes. Then plug the iPhone back and restart iPhoto/Photos.
  3. Try to move iPhone photos to your Mac more easily and quickly without iPhoto. AnyTrans is one of the best tools to import photos from iPhone to Mac.
  4. Turn off your Mac and restart again, also restart your iPhone.
  5. Unlock your iPhone, and when you plug in with it a pop-up will show on your iPhone and ask whether to Trust or Don’t Trust this computer. Tap on Trust.
  6. If you use any other photo storage device on your Mac like DropBox, which can be conflicting with iPhoto. You should close DropBox or just remove it.
  7. Enabled iCloud Photo Library. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Setting on devices > Tap on[Your Name] > Click iCloud > Click Photos under Manage Storage > Toggle on iCloud Photos. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Click iCloud > Click Options by the side of Photos > Check iCloud Photos.
  8. Reset iPhone Location & Privacy. Disconnect your iPhone from your Mac. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy > Reconnect to your Mac and select Trust when your iPhone asks > Import iPhone photos to Mac.
  9. Use the Photos repair tool: Make sure that you backed up your main Photos library > Quit Photos > Press and hold the Option and Command keys as you open Photos again.
    You will see the Repair Library dialog appears > Click Repair, and then enter an administrator password to begin running the Photos repair tool.

A Better Solution: How to Upload iPhone Photos without iPhoto/Photos

When you’re facing iPhone photos not showing up on Mac, iPhoto won’t open, or iPhoto not working at all, how can you sync or edit iPhone photos on Mac? Another way is trying a Photos/iPhoto alternative tool – AnyTrans. With AnyTrans, transferring iPhone photos to Mac/PC computer will become much easier and quicker with the related features as below:

AnyTrans – iPhone Photo Transfer

  • Transfer all types of photos and albums to Mac as well as Windows.
  • Convert incompatible iPhone photos automatically.
  • Guarantee you no harm to picture quality.
  • Also, help you transfer photos from iPhone to new iPhone directly.

Free Download100% Clean & Safe

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To fix iPhone photos not importing to Mac or not all photos importing from iPhone to Mac:

Step 1: Free Download AnyTrans on your Mac > Open AnyTrans > Connect your iPhone to the computer using a digital cable > Choose “Device Manager” mode > Click on “Photos” option.

Open AnyTrans and Choose Photos

Step 2: Select the photos you want to see on your computer > Click “To Mac” button at the top-right corner to start the process. After it completes, the selected photos will be successfully exported from iPhone now.

Other iPhone Photos Related FAQs

You may have some other iPhone photos related questions and we’ve prepared some guides to give you answers.

Question 1. Where are photos stored on mac and how to view my photos on Mac?

After you import your iPhone photos to Mac with the Photos app, you can view them in Photos app directly or view photos on Mac in the Photos library folder.

On your Mac, Go to Finder > Choose Pictures > Right Click Photo Library > Choose Show Package Contents > In a folder named Masters, you will find photos in different folders.

Whare arr Photos Stored on Mac

Question 2. How can I import photos from iPhone to Mac in more ways?

To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac, besides using Photos or iPhoto, you can also try AirDrop, Image Capture, iCloud, etc. Read this guide to learn 6 ways to import photos from iPhone to Mac >

Question 3. What to do when the iPhone not showing up on PC?

If you are using a Windows PC and your iPhone won’t show up, here some fixes you can try. To get more info you can refer to How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up on PC , or you can try the following quick fixes:

  • Restart your iPhone and your Windows PC.
  • Make sure the iPhone is NOT locked and it is showing the home screen when you plug it in.
  • Try a different USB port if you have one.
  • Try enabling Windows AutoPlay.

Bonus Tip: How to Convert HEIC Photos

After the release of iOS 11, all Apple devices would use HEIC photos by default. This new file format is intended to save your iOS device storage space, but it is not yet widely compatible.

As a result, sometimes users would have trouble opening HEIC files. Here we recommend a free tool – iMobie HEIC Converter, to help you convert HEIC files to any formats you want, such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc.

Don’t miss: How to Change a HEIC File to JPEG on Mac/PC >

The Bottom Line

If photos from iPhone not showing up on mac in iPhoto or Photos app, or iPhoto not working, then you can try AnyTrans to import iPhone photos to Mac. It enables you to view and upload all iPhone photos when you connect the computer. And Windows PC/Mac, newly iPhone 12 and iOS 14 are supported. If you have any problems with this guide, feel free to leave your comment below or contact our support team via email.

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One of the easiest ways to transfer photos from your iPhone/iPad to your Windows PC is to connect it with a USB cable. Doing that makes the DCIM folder visible on your PC. DCIM stands for Digital Camera Images, which is a folder that houses all pictures available on your device. Be it taken from the camera, a screenshot, or any downloaded image.

Sadly, for some users, the DCIM folder doesn’t show up on PC when connected to the iPhone or iPad. For others, while the DCIM folder is visible, it’s empty and doesn’t show any photo. For a few users, the folder shows only some of the pictures.

If you are also facing the issue, it’s time to say it goodbye to it. Here you will find several ways to fix the DCIM empty folder issue on Windows 10.

Restart Your iPhone and PC

If the issue has erupted suddenly out of nowhere, it would be a good idea to restart your iPhone/iPad and Windows computer.

Unlock iPhone/iPad

If your iPhone or iPad is locked and you connected it via USB to PC, most of the times it won't show the device. Even though you will hear the ding sound and your device will start charging, you will have to unlock your iPhone or iPad to authorize it once. You don’t have to do anything else, unlock the device, and the folder will appear on your PC.

Authorize Your Computer

While connecting your iPhone/iPad for the first time to PC or after resetting some setting, you will get a pop-up on your iPhone. The pop-up will ask you to authorize the computer. Tap on Trust.

Alternatively, if you didn’t get the pop-up or you aren’t sure whether the computer is authorized to access your iPhone or not, you will need the help of iTunes. For that, follow these steps:

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable.

Step 2: Open iTunes and click on the Account option in the top bar. From the menu, select Authorizations followed by Authorize This Computer.

Step 3: You will be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. Type the necessary details and hit Authorize. Hopefully, you will see the DCIM folder on your computer.

Reset Location and Privacy

Resetting the location and privacy setting will not delete any data on your phone. It will just reset your privacy controls and location access permissions. That is, any app that has been authorized to access the two will ask you for the required permission again. Resetting is helpful here as you will have to allow your computer again to use your phone.

To reset the location and privacy setting, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to General.

Step 2: Tap on Reset followed by Reset Location & Privacy. You will be asked to enter your phone passcode.

Step 3: A confirmation box will appear, tap on Reset Settings.

After doing that, connect your iPhone to the computer, and you will be asked to authorize it. Once you do that, unplug the USB and replug it. You will be able to access your photos.

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Take a New Photo

That fix might sound a bit wonky, but it has helped many users especially people who are connecting it for the first time or whose camera roll is empty. The reason is that there is no photo on your iPhone/iPad and that’s why the folder isn’t showing up.

So to fix it, capture a new photo using the device camera. Then connect it to your computer.

Turn off iCloud Photos

If the DCIM folder is empty or showing just a few pictures, the chances are high that your photos are saved in iCloud. The photo that you see on your iPhone or iPad is only an optimized version and not the actual copy. The actual file is stored on iCloud, and therefore it isn’t accessible through the File Manager on your PC.

Now two ways will help. First, you can download photos directly from iCloud.com on your PC, but that would require a working internet connection. If you face any issue while doing so, use these fixes to guide you.

Alternatively, you can download them on your phone by turning off ‘Optimize iPhone storage’ option. Doing that will download all photos from your iCloud on your phone. Do remember that it will occupy a large amount of storage on your phone and you need to have enough space to store them.

To do so, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Settings and tap on your name at the top.

Step 2: Tap on iCloud followed by Photos.

Step 3: If Optimize iPhone Storage is selected, then definitely, it’s the culprit. Tap on Download and Keep Originals.

Note: Depending on the number of photos, it may take some time to download on your phone.

Step 4: Once the photos finish downloading, connect your phone to your computer. You should be able to see them inside the DCIM folder.

If you don’t want to save your future photos in iCloud, turn off the iCloud option in step 3 above. By doing so, none of your existing images in iCloud or your phone will be deleted. However, if you delete the photos from phone or iCloud and enable iCloud pictures in the future, those deleted photos will be removed from other devices too. Currently, it will only change the behavior to save pictures on the phone instead of a cloud.

Tip: If the photo is saved in iCloud, tap on Edit in the Photos app to download it on your phone. Once downloaded, connect your device to a computer and it will be accessible in the DCIM folder on PC. The tip comes handy for a small number of photos.
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Reinstall iTunes

iTunes is required for the proper functioning of connections between PC and iPhone/iPad as it installs all the necessary drivers. We suggest you uninstall and then reinstall the software to see if it fixes the issue. Also, always download the latest version of iTunes.

Download iTunes

Uninstall Apple Mobile Device USB Driver

/mac-app-to-add-texts-to-photos.html. Sometimes, uninstalling the Apple driver also helps fix the issue. Here are the steps to do so:

Step 1: Open My Computer or This PC on your computer. Right-click anywhere and select Properties. Then hit Device Manager on the left side.

Alternatively, use the shortcut keys (Windows Key+R) to open Run. Type devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager directly.

Step 2: Under Device Manager, look for Universal Serial Bus devices. Right-click on Apple Mobile Device USB Device and select Uninstall device.

Wait for it to uninstall. Then restart your PC and connect iPhone or iPad to it. The driver will be downloaded again. Once downloaded, unplug and replug your device.

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Move It Sweetly

Transferring pictures from iPhone/iPad to a computer comes quite handy when you need to free storage on your device. Imagine connecting it with a computer and getting an empty folder. Fortunately, the bad days are over as you can quickly fix the problem with the above solutions.

Next up: Downloading files on iOS can get tricky sometimes. Here's how to download any file on your iPhone and iPad.


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